The Self Illusion is about the science of self—the truth behind the illusion that we all share, that we exist as individuals inside our bodies and are in control of our own thoughts and behaviours. Recent developments in neuroscience tell us that we consist of a multitude of unconscious mechanisms interpreting the world, yet we are largely under the influence of those around us. We are not the individuals we think we are. The truth—that our self is a narrative our brain creates—may startle those of us who fervently believe that we are in full control of who we are and what we do.

Bruce Hood, a world-renowned expert on the brain, reaches deep into our evolutionary past to find out what makes us tick. He reveals fascinating original research about child development and ultimately takes us inside our own heads to explain how and why we act the way we do, even in the new frontier of Twitter and Facebook. The Self Illusion is a highly accessible, often entertaining and ultimately provocative book about the nature of you, yourself and I.

--- from the publisher

About the Author:

Bruce Hood is the author of The Science of Superstition and is one of the leading international authorities on child development and supernatural thinking in adults. He has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has been a faculty member at UCL and Harvard and was a visiting scientist at MIT. He is currently the chair of developmental psychology at Bristol University in England and director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre. Born in Toronto, he now lives in Bristol, England.